With the release of 1989’s Raw Like Sushi, a 24-year-old Neneh Cherry was thrust onto the cutting edge of popular music. Now timeless singles like ‘Buffalo Stance’ were a beacon for many who were waiting for a breath of fresh air to sweep the world of pop.
As legendary critic Robert Christgau wrote, Cherry, the daughter of an artist and a percussionist, provided “a relief from bimbo macho and exchangeable female dance phenoms”. Instead, Cherry held steadfast to her own vision and became a phenom in her own right.
Now,on the verge of her debut Australian tour which will see the songstress play the Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall amongst others (see below for full tour dates), Neneh Cherry is back after an 18-year wait between solo albums, reuniting her with longtime collaborators like RocketNumberNine and new kid on the Cherry block, Four Tet. While the interim yielded a handful of collaborations, including 2012’s The Cherry Thing, we caught up with the singer to see what brought her solo mojo back.
Reactions
“Shocked would be the word I would probably use, but obviously very humbled by such a nice amount of big-ups. I try not to concern myself with how an album is received, but a blanket pasting would always hurt somewhat.
“I was not thinking about anything except getting the tunes out of me. It was therapy. It was only after I did the first couple of interviews that it dawned on me that actually real people would have an opinion about the work.”
Coming Back
“The Cherry Thing was my husband’s idea. He set that as a test of my resolve. If I got through the free jazz / improv test and tour then we’d do the real solo thing. I guess I passed! Before my mum died I was feeling a bit like there was something to do, but I hadn’t figured out what it was. Once she died, then the penny dropped.”
Avoiding Repetition
“I am part of a team. This team is dedicated to never treading already trodden ground. Again, I have to point towards my hubby – he hates repetition as much as I do. So it was never on the cards. We are a team, we are the team.
“Kieran [Hebden, Four Tet] helped strip it all back even further than it was when we went to him (and it was pretty bare even by then already). RocketNumberNine just poured blood and sweat into every nook and cranny of every song.
Rough Behaviour
“Booga Bear was ever vigilant in the period of writing before Four Tet or RocketNumberNine arrived, all the way through both of the UK rehearsals prior to Four Tet’s arrival, and during the actual five days of recording and mixing.
“I think Cam [McVey, Booga Bear] and I both felt that these very deeply felt personal songs needed some rough behaviour and both RN9 Kieran do that well.”
The Influences
“Moving back to Sweden must have been profound [in terms of influence on the album], because I was living there when my mother died and when I wrote the songs. [As for becoming a grandmother], it’s the best!”
Workflow
“The songs were already written and arranged before we got the the studio. We did the writing mostly in Sweden and a wee bit in both Amsterdam and in London. Then we rehearsed in Walthamstow in RocketNumberNine’s then studio before we decamped to a secret location to record.
“We began at 10am on the Monday and by 2pm same day we had recorded and mixed the first tune. By 7pm that same night, we’d finished the second tune and by 7pm on the Friday the tenth tune was completed.”
Neneh Cherry will soon be touching down in Australia for her first ever Down Under tour – see the dates below.
Neneh Cherry Australian Tour Dates
Saturday, 28th February 2015
Perth International Arts Festival Festival Gardens, Perth
Sunday, 1st March 2015
Perth International Arts Festival Festival Gardens, Perth
Friday, 6th March 2015
Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Saturday, 7th March 2015
Golden Plains Festival, Meredith VIC
Sunday, 8th March 2015
WOMADelaide, Adelaide
Monday, 9th March 2015
WOMADelaide, Adelaide
Wednesday, 11th March 2015
Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney
